Yoga Goddess Academy 200 Hour Yoga Teacher Training Standing Forward Bends Uttanasana Uttanasana Bound Hands Ardha Uttanasana Padangusthasana About This Asana Digest covers: Standing Forward Bends and related poses such as Intense Stretching Posture, Half Standing Forward Bend, Hand to Big Toe, Hand to Foot and Uttanasana Bound Hand Sanskrit & Naming  Uttanasana  Padangusthasana OOT-tan-AHS-ahna POD-ung-goos-TAWS-ahna Hand to Big Toe uttana = intense stretching or extension Intense Stretching Posture  Padahastasana Also known as: Standing Forward Bend PAH-dah-hah-STAHS-ahna Hand to Foot  Ardha Uttanasana Also known as: Gorilla ARE-dah OOT-tan-AHS-ahna  Baddha Hasta Uttanasana Half Standing Forward Bend Also known as: Half Way Lift Bound Hands Intense Stretching Posture 1 © 2018 Yoga Goddess Academy Summary  Uttanasana: hands on floor, block or legs  Padangusthasana: hold big toes  Padahastasana: hands under feet Notes  Ardha Uttanasana is often used as the name for a half-lift and included in Surya Namaskar and other vinyasas.  However, in some styles, Padangusthasana is the name for a half-lift. In this case, the naming comes from Part I of Padangusthasana from the Iyengar tradition, where toes are clasped and spine is lengthened forward into a half-lift. See Also  Asana Categories  General Alignment Principles  Alignment Cueing Benefits Energy, Mood, Emotion  Gives a “refreshed sense of well-being”  Centering  Relieves tension and stress Inner Body  Increases circulation to brain  “Massages and regenerates” kidneys and adrenals Musculoskeletal  Lengthens hamstrings and calf muscles  Stretches back 2 © 2018 Yoga Goddess Academy In addition, Ardha Uttanasana also:  Strengthens back, abdominals, neck, shoulders, knees, ankles and toes  Stretches torso and quadriceps Therapeutic Uses*  Anxiety  Digestive Issues  Stress  Ardha Uttanasana may be additionally helpful for abdominal and menstrual pain (yogawiz.com) * This pose is often associated with positive effects related to the conditions listed. But unless trained in yoga therapy, teachers are usually advised against “prescribing” particular asanas to address specific conditions. Cautions Contraindications  Eye problems  High blood pressure,  Recent abdominal surgery  Pregnancy  Sciatic pain (some sources do not state sciatic pain is contraindicated but rather recommend a variation: taking legs wider than hip width and turning toes in, heels out)  Sinus problems Cautions  Use variations for those with neck or low back pain  Watch Out For: Rounded back; encourage bending knees or using block instead  Watch Out For: Hips back beyond heels; rather, keep hips stacked over ankles  Moving in and out of Uttanasana is an area of caution; see considerations for this transition in Surya Namaskar Cautions & Alignment 3 © 2018 Yoga Goddess Academy Variations Summary Uttanasana: Beginner Variations  Bend knees until chest to thighs, fingers to floor in front of feet  Hands to one or two blocks  Narrow side of block between upper inner thighs (squeezing block strengthens inner thighs & cues engagement)  Sit bones against wall Using a Block to Align & Deepen Placing your hands on a block [in Uttanasana] allows you to take some weight off your torso and your lower back so you can release completely, without straining your lower back. Move the depth of your groins into the lift of your sitting bones as the tip of your tailbone curls between your sitting bones. – Rodney Yee, Moving Toward Balance © 2004 p 38 Uttanasana: More Advanced  Bind hands behind back, as you fold, draw hands overhead toward the floor  Take one ankle in front of other (Yoga Teachers’ Toolbox © 2005 p 73)  Place block as high as possible between legs & feet as close as possible; try to push block behind you (Cool Yoga Tricks © 2003 p74)  Stand on blocks (Cool Yoga Tricks © 2003 p74) 4 © 2018 Yoga Goddess Academy Ardha Uttanasana Variations  Bend knees  Hands to blocks  If balance is an issue, try taking hands wider for stability  Fists to floor  Hands to thighs  Hands to shins  Hands to wall (also called Right Angle Pose / Standing Wall Press)  Challenge: Torso straight at 90°, arms by ears Verbal Cues Foundation First It is universally advised to teach all standing poses “from the ground up.” Avoid focusing on upper body alignment, pose refinements or deepening the expression of pose until the foundation is properly aligned and steady. Chakra Awareness Take your awareness into the perineum and soften the root chakra as you allow the sit bones to lift. Draw the abdomen back toward the spine and soften the second chakra to open the sacrum energetically. Soften the center of the body, and allow the solar plexus to relax toward the spine, creating space for the kidneys and adrenal glands. Soften the heart center and rest the back of the heart toward the thighs. Draw breath into the throat center, and as you exhale, lengthen and release the neck and throat, opening the channel from the heart to the head. Draw breath into the third eye, and as you exhale, soften and internalize the senses, drawing your awareness deep within your being. Soften and massage the brain with the breath and allow the torso to cascade toward the earth, united with the rhythms of nature and resting deeply in the natural Self . – Joseph LePage, Yoga Teachers’ Toolbox p © 2005 p 73 5 © 2018 Yoga Goddess Academy Cues For Standing Forward Bends, General Feet, Legs, Sit Bones  Place feet hip width distance & parallel. (Or, keep inner ankles, knees & thighs together.)  Ground through the heels.  To counter pelvis moving back behind heels, press into big toes to bring pelvis forward.  Press feet, activate legs, lengthen up through crown of head.  Activate/contract the quadriceps to relax the hamstrings.  Lift & separate sit bones.  Bend knees as needed to keep torso at or near thighs.  In Ragdoll (holding opposite elbows), keep feet hip distance, weight even on both feet and trunk centered between legs. Arms & Shoulders  When moving into pose by taking arms overhead, keep shoulders down.  Alternatively, keep hands at waist until ready to release hands to blocks, floor, toes, etc. Hips, Abs, Back  When moving into pose, exhale, bend at hip joints, keeping back straight. (Hands may be by ears, out to sides, or at waist)  “Flex the trunk by activating the rectus abdominis. This creates reciprocal inhibition of the lower back muscles, signaling them to relax. Tilt the pelvis forward by contracting the hip flexors, including the psoas, pectineus, and anterior adductor muscles. This signals the hip extensors (the gluteals) to relax.” (Ray Long)  Lengthen through spine.  Relax abdomen. More Surrender the weight of the head as you soften the forehead, eyes, and jaw. – Joseph LePage  Allow gravity to traction the spine.  Allow spine to release gradually as it pulled by weight of neck and head. 6 © 2018 Yoga Goddess Academy  “[In full pose], draw your body toward your legs and down toward the floor. The challenge is to draw yourself deeply into the pose without feeling congested in your abdomen or throat. Round your spine evenly as you search for full extension.” (Rodney Yee)  To come out, firm low abdomen. Inhale, move hips forward, maintaining length in spine while lifting trunk upright. More Cues For Specific Poses Padangusthasana  Feet hip distance apart.  With palms facing each other, wrap first two fingers of each hand around big toes.  Take elbows out to side. Padahastasana  Feet hip distance apart.  Place hands, palms up, under feet. Spread fingers out.  Touch wrists with toes.  Stand with balls of feet on palms of hands, weight evenly balanced on both feet. Ardha Uttanasana Moving into Pose With an inhale, straighten your elbows and arch your torso away from your thighs, finding as much length between your pubic bone and navel as possible. With your palms (or fingertips) push down and back against the floor, and lift the top of your sternum up (away from the floor) and forward. You might bend your knees slightly to help get this movement, which will arch the back. Look forward, but be careful not to compress the back of your neck. Hold the arched-back position for a few breaths. – Yoga Journal, Standing Half Forward Bend  From Uttanasana, press fingertips or palms firmly to floor besides the feet; or press hands into blocks or shins.  Inhale, straighten elbows, lengthen torso away from thighs; maintain as much length as possible between navel and pubic bone.  Lift sternum forward and away from floor. Bend knees as needed.  Look forward or neutral; do not compress back of neck. 7 © 2018 Yoga Goddess Academy  Exhale to release. When Hands are on Legs Near Knees The idea here is to flatten your back and elongate your spine… Do not learn in your hands or sag into your shoulders. Lengthen your arms, lift up, and stay lifted. As you do this, there will be some weight on your hands in the form of palm pressure, but minimize it. Elongate your spine horizontally forward. Press backward through the buttocks and stretch forward through the crown of your head. – Erich Schiffman, Yoga: The Spirit and Practice of Moving into Stillness © 1996 p 110 When Grasping Big Toes / Phase I of Padangusthasana Keep the head up, stretch the diaphragm towards the chest and make the back as concave as possible. Instead of stretching down from shoulders, bend forward from the pelvic region to get the concave shape of the back from the coccyx. Keep the legs stiff and do not slacken the grip at the knees and toes. Stretch the shoulder blades also. – B.K.S. Iyengar, Light on Yoga © 1975 p 75 8 © 2018 Yoga Goddess Academy Standing Forward Bends Ardha Uttanasana – Variation Photos Hands to Legs Another Look Teach proper alignment and lengthening of spine, enabling individual expressions of poses to vary according to what is safe for each student. Right Angle Pose Standing Wall Press Also called Ardha Uttanasana Variation 9 © 2018 Yoga Goddess Academy